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U.S.
Senator Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees |
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For Immediate
Release Monday, July 7, 2008 |
CONTACT:Michael Amodeo – 303-249-5286 |
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Sen. Salazar Pushes Arkansas Valley Conduit Bill Forward In Senate Committee WASHINGTON, DC – Today, at the request of United States Senator Ken Salazar, the Senate Subcommittee on Water and Power held a hearing on S.2974, the Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC) Act of 2008. The hearing before the committee, of which Sen. Salazar is a member, is a crucial next step toward making the Arkansas Valley Conduit a reality for the communities in southeastern Colorado that would receive clean, fresh drinking water through the project. Bill Long, President of the Southeastern Water Conservancy District, and Sen. Allard testified before the Committee, joining Senator Salazar in strong support of the legislation. “The bill under consideration today, S.2974, is the product of creative thinking and a great deal of hard work, and represents a novel approach to funding a large-scale water project,” said Senator Salazar. “This new source of water will allow southern Colorado communities to reduce existing water treatment costs and better conserve and manage their existing groundwater resources and infrastructure. The conduit will make a real difference in the lives of those who call the Arkansas River Valley their home.” The full text of Senator Salazar’s remarks can be found here. The Arkansas Valley Conduit, a proposed 130-mile water delivery system from Pueblo Dam to communities throughout the Arkansas River Valley, was originally authorized in 1962 as part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas project. Unfortunately, the authorization did not include a federal-local cost-share provision needed to cover the estimated $300 million in construction costs, and local communities, especially those in southern Colorado, do not have the resources to shoulder 100 percent of the costs. The project has thus remained unfinished for over forty years. S.2974 would provide for
a 65-35 federal-local cost-share for completion of the project, with
revenues from so-called “excess-capacity” contracts for water storage
in other Fry-Ark project facilities being used to fund the majority
of the local contribution. This approach is the result of close collaboration
between community stakeholders and the Colorado congressional delegation
and will ensure communities in the Arkansas River Valley can finance
their portion of the project without incurring unbearable financial
burdens. ###
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